Univ. of Miami finds COVID-19 variants in New York and Brazil in South Florida

MIAMI BEACH, Florida – University of Miami researchers discover several other strains of COVID-19 variants right here in South Florida, including three cases of two different variants from Brazil and now one case of the so-called variant of New York.

Dr David Andrews of the Miller School of Medicine at UM calls it “really revealing.”

“We are finding variations of many different varieties,” he adds. “From many places, from a wide range of countries and from various sources.”

Andrews, associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, said the researchers were “very surprised at our first few hundred sequencing results, we found three variants originating in Brazil.”

The UK mutation is so far the most common variant strain across Florida – and it is believed to spread more easily. In their latest statistics released Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had verified 500 cases of this British variant in Florida, most of all states nationwide.

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Additionally, in a random sample of positive COVID-19 results, researchers at the University of Miami found that 25% had the UK variant.

But the problem with the new New York variant, much like the Brazilian strain, is its presumed ability to circumvent immunity, including from a vaccine.

“We went into this process without expecting to find a particular variant, and we found a case of the New York variant, and yes, the concern for the New York variant is an immune escape mechanism as well,” Andrews says. .

So what about the millions already vaccinated across the state? While the vaccines have been shown to be effective against the British variant, Andrews says they should be at least partially effective in protecting against other mutations.

“Pfizer and Moderna are starting clinical trials with slight variations of the vaccine to be able to address these structural differences in the spike protein,” he says.

The latest CDC data on Thursday showed just one verified case of the Brazilian variant, which Local 10 News said was in Miami-Dade County.

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The new variants discovered at the University of Miami add to that.

UM says it is one of the “few” academic medical centers across the United States to test COVID-19 samples for variants and sequence them.

“Due to our geographic location, it is very important for us to develop these capabilities,” said Dr. Stephen D. Nimer, director of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which developed the school’s COVID-19 testing program. . find other variants, we can then determine if they are covered by our vaccines and if they really cause more serious illnesses, and all of this information is useful for the world to know.

The Florida Department of Heatlh said the higher number of confirmed variants in the state was in part the result of increased efforts to sequence and research these other strains than other states.

For more information on the University of Miami’s research, click here.